Canadian Railroads > Getting Ready for Winter

On January 4, 1998, there still wasn't much evidence of winter yet, but NS Power, with the help of the Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Rwy. was laying in a supply of coal at the Pt. Tupper generating station on the Strait of Canso.  In previous years coal would have been mined in the Sydney area and delivered here by CBNS (and CN in years gone by), but production problems in the undersea mines meant that NSPI had to import coal to be ready for the winter.  The most convenient port for unloading was across the causeway at Aulds Cove, where the coal was loaded into short shuttle trains and then delivered to the generating station.  That's what was happening here, as GP50 3109, recently acquired from the Indiana & Ohio, shoved 8 loads up the Tupper Spur to the plant.  Although CBNS had 3 cabooses (curiously, 2 were numbered "2000") to use for shoving moves like this, I think this is the only time I saw one of them being used.  Any other time I've seen trains shoving up here, the conductor simply rode the last car.

Eventually NSPI built their own port facilities next to the power plant, and coal then moved down the hill and west to the power plant in Trenton, near New Glasgow.  Coal is also imported in Sydney, but nothing travels across the Island any longer.  the Sydney Coal Rwy. and trucks deliver it to the generating stations in the Sydney area.

GTD

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Definitely like bothe photos.  The caboose is really neat.
Thanks for your posting.
ALLEN